03/25/2010 - News
Would a Soda Tax Be Effective?
By: June Chen, MD
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Several health experts and policymakers have called for a soda tax as one method for curving the obesity epidemic in the United States. The Senate has even considered a federal soda tax in order to help pay for an overhaul of the nation’s healthcare systems. But, would a soda tax actually discourage people from drinking soda? According to a study published in a recent issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, increasing the price of soda or away-from-home pizza might be an effective way to steer Americans toward a healthier diet.
Despite the increasing interest in a soda tax and other taxation as a way of addressing poor food choices, research directly examining the relationship between food price and intake is scarce. In this 20-year study, which involved 5,115 participants from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, researchers studied the price of soda and pizza over time and the effects of these price changes on intake. They found that increasing either soda or pizza prices resulted in lower intake, lower body weight, and lower insulin resistance (which can lead to diabetes).
Obesity costs the United States an estimated $147 billion each year in health costs. Based on the findings of this study, a soda tax or similar policy could be effective in addressing overconsumption of foods that contribute to obesity, with resultant effects on weight loss and the rates of diabetes among U.S. adults. California and Philadelphia have already introduced soda tax legislation to try to limit consumption, and both the American Heart Association and Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) support a soda tax. However, food manufacturers and sellers are likely to put up strong opposition to a federal soda tax.
Source:
Arch Intern Med 2010; 170(5): 420-426.
Created on: 03/25/2010
Reviewed on: 03/25/2010
Reviewed on: 03/25/2010
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When it comes to weight gain, there is nothing “special” or unique about the calories in sugar-sweetened beverages. All calories count when it comes to balancing one’s weight. According to the National Cancer Institute data, only 5.5% of a person’s daily intake comes from sugar-sweetened beverages, meaning 94.5% comes from other sources.
Real world science and data shows us that soft drink taxes don’t work. In fact, West Virginia and Arkansas are the only two states with excise taxes on soda, yet they rank among the 10 highest rates of obesity in the country. And it’s pretty hard to single out soft drinks as a unique contributor to obesity when regular soft drink sales have declined 9.6 percent since 2000, yet adult and childhood obesity rates have been rising during the same time, according to the CDC.
Common sense tells us – and science has shown – that adopting the right balance of calories consumed and burned through physical activity is the key to a healthy lifestyle. A discriminatory and regressive tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is nothing more than a money grab, won’t make an ounce of difference, and misses the mark on addressing the complex problem of obesity.
- American Beverage Association, www.ameribev.org